Last June, Johor set up an ad hoc committee to vet applications to build data processing centres that house the IT infrastructure for storing information of large companies, crucial for developing artificial intelligence, which will further boost energy demand.

Several studies have found that such facilities are highly polluting. One in Europe found that over 20 years, data centres in the continent produced between 6,600 and 10,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide per megawatt of operating IT, equal to the annual electricity consumption of 1,700 to 2,800 European households.

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I realise this when I go home to visit my parents in Florida, or almost anywhere outside states, such as Vermont, that mandate it.

Curbside pickup is rare. Many view it as a chore. Even for people like me who enjoy transforming leftovers into rocket fuel for their garden, composting can turn into a foul, stinking, sulfurous mess.

So, I get it.

A food waste solution

But what if you could make food waste disappear by throwing it into a hole in the ground and walking away?

No more fouled trash. Less climate pollution.

While researching ways to compost, I discovered an easy method to turn virtually any organic waste from veggie scraps to chicken bones to pet waste back into nature: solar digesters.

They don't produce compost, the rich, fluffy organic matter that turns back into soil.

Instead, these biodigesters — typically little more than half-buried plastic cones within a small patch of dirt — harness microbial workhorses and the sun's heat to transform organic matter into its elemental components.

These components are mostly carbon, water, CO2 and micronutrients, says Yichao Rui, a soil scientist in the Department of Agronomy at Purdue University.

"Nematodes, bacteria and fungi all work together to decompose all these organic materials," he says.

"Soil organisms large and small primarily digest and eat them," transforming plant and animal matter back into the building blocks for soil and air.

It's a simple, easy, no-mess solution to keep organic waste out of trash and landfills: 58 percent of all methane emissions from municipal landfills are emitted by rotting food.

So this January I ordered my own "Green Cone," buried it in the ground and began filling it with lots of food waste every week to put it to the test. Here's what happened.

The mounting food waste problem

Each year, the average household in the United States dumps 300 to 400 pounds (about 136-180 kg) of food waste into the trash, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

When this is buried in the airless depths of landfills, it turns into methane, a potent greenhouse gas fueling still more warming.

States and federal agencies are hoping to choke off this source of global warming fuel.

First, they hope to prevent food waste: encouraging less wasteful food shopping and storage, as well as donations and upcycling (such as reusing for animal feed).

But waste will always exist, and a rising share of states now treat food waste similar to recyclables: a valuable material that should never go into the trash.

On July 1, 2020, Vermont became the first U.S. state to ban the disposal of most food scraps in the trash or landfills.

Most trash haulers must offer food scrap collection or residents can use home composting (residents who compost at home are not required to compost meat and bones — although you can).

State officials estimate more than half of food scraps are now being diverted from landfills.

Eighty-five percent of Vermonters compost, mostly in their backyards, according to the University of Vermont. Only about a fifth characterize it as "hard or very hard."

States are following Vermont's lead by adopting food waste restrictions, says Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, a food waste reduction group.

While most policies initially focus on large businesses, residential mandates become more feasible once compost and distribution facilities are in place.

Ten states including Massachusetts and New York, as well as Washington, D.C., now restrict organic waste disposal.

"I do think the emerging science demonstrating food in landfills is responsible for around 10 percent of U.S. methane is driving more attention to organic waste bans and diversion goals," says Gunders.

What are solar digesters?

Solar digesters remain little known.

For now, "soil savers" ($52), an insulated compost bin for cold climates, and "barrel composters" ($38), a compost bin or drum you can rotate to mix the contents inside, are the most popular, says Josh Kelly, a solid waste program manager at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

But solar digesters are poised to play a much larger role as organic waste bans spread. Read more

• Michael J Coren is a British-Canadian journalist and clergyman. He writes the "Climate Coach" advice column for The Washington Post.

The report finds the majority of pollution-related deaths today come from what it calls modern sources, such as lead and chemical exposure and ambient air pollution primarily through the burning of fossil fuels, what the authors refer to as "the unintended consequence of industrialization and urbanization."

The levels of pollution stemming from current economic models reflects "the throwaway culture" that Pope Francis has condemned and "certainly in no way constitutes good stewardship of our planet," said Philip Landrigan, co-lead author and the director of the Global Public Health Program and Global Pollution Observatory at Boston College.

"We're locked into this economic model, which is focused obsessively on short-term gain, on the gross domestic product," Landrigan told EarthBeat. "We ignore natural capital, the ecosystems. We ignore human capital, people. We just burn through natural resources, we burn through people with the goal of creating ever-greater profit margins."

Deaths from modern forms of pollution have risen 66% since 2000, the report stated, and have essentially wiped out gains in lowering mortality rates from water and household air pollution achieved through improved water and sanitation access and cleaner ways of household cooking and heating.

Overall, the death toll from pollution each year eclipses that from malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined is on par with smoking-related deaths and is more than the 6 million people who have died so far from the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 90% of pollution-related deaths are located in low- and middle-income countries.

The findings, based on data from the 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors study, were published May 17 in The Lancet Planetary Health, a subset of The Lancet medical journal, one of the world's oldest and most widely respected medical publications.

The report's authors said that despite its massive threat, pollution has been a largely "overlooked" problem and increasingly countries must work together in its mitigation.

"Pollution has typically been viewed as a local issue to be addressed through sub-national and national regulation or, occasionally, using regional policy in higher-income countries.

It is increasingly clear that pollution is a planetary threat, and that its drivers, its dispersion, and its effects on health transcend local boundaries and demand a global response," the report's authors said.

Landrigan, a pediatrician and epidemiologist, told EarthBeat that the world's religions can play an important role in reducing global pollution by raising the moral and ethical dimensions of polluting the planet and also speaking directly with industry and corporate leaders.

"I think religious leaders have an opportunity here to step up … and say, 'Hey, we simply can't go on this way. We've got to move to a more sustainable, more circular economy where it isn't just about more and more and more every day of the week.' Because what we're doing can't go on," he said. "There's going to come a point of no return."

In his 2015 encyclical, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," Francis bemoaned how "some forms of pollution are part of people's daily experience" and referenced the millions of premature deaths resulting from such conditions.

Last September, the pope said in a message to the Council of Europe that all people have a right to a "safe, healthy and sustainable environment."

The Lancet report follows up on a similar study in 2017, which also showed pollution responsible for 9 million annual deaths — a figure that has remained unchanged since 2015. What has changed are the sources driving mortality rates, with deaths from modern pollution sources having "increased substantially" over the past 20 years, the report said.

Overall, air pollution is responsible for 6.5 million deaths each year, with 4.5 million of those from ambient air pollution.

An estimated 1.3 million deaths are tied to water pollution; 1.8 million to lead and other chemical pollution, such as a group of chemicals known as PFAS and neonicotinoids, one of the most widely used types of insecticide; and 875,000 from occupational pollution. Modern sources account for roughly 5.8 million deaths, compared to 3.7 million from traditional sources that have historically been associated with extreme poverty.

The problem of pollution is most severe in low- and middle-income countries, according to the report, and especially acute in Asia and Africa, though in the latter historical forms of pollution are still the predominant causes of disease and death. More than 2 million people die annually from pollution in both China and India, though China has far fewer deaths (367,000) from household and water pollution than India (1.1 million). In terms of pollution deaths per 100,000 people, African nations of Chad (305), Central African Republic (299), Niger (241) and Somalia (237) are hit hardest, compared to the United States at 44 deaths per 100,000 people.

The report draws clear lines between pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss, calling them "the key global environmental issues of our time" whose solutions are "intricately linked" and mutually beneficial. One example it cites is to drastically cut emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, like methane, soot and hydrofluorocarbons that simultaneously pollute the air and capture heat in the atmosphere.

The report found that global chemical manufacturing has increased at a rate of roughly 3.5% per year, and will double by 2030. While gasoline and paint have been historical sources of lead exposure, people are encountering it more and more through poor recycling of car batteries, lead chromate added to spices and lead added to cookware and pots.

Rachel Kupka, a co-author of the report and executive director of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, said that lead exposure is especially harmful for children, with one in three children globally experiencing lead poisoning, which can hinder cognitive development.

"What we're finding now is that lead, even very low levels of exposure, are contributing to a much higher burden of disease than anticipated before," she told EarthBeat.

"It's very bad news for people and the planet that air pollution is getting worse and chemical pollution is getting worse," Landrigan said, adding, "We were hoping for better" results in the four years since the previous report.

One of the goals of that 2018 report was to persuade more countries to address what is widely seen as a neglected problem, especially in middle- and low-income countries. A major driver of pollution has been the industrialization and urbanization of nations, which as they rapidly work to build their economies predominantly have done so through burning fossil fuels.

"They're taking a very short-term view and they're making the mistake of investing in fossil fuels, which is, in my mind, a losing proposition because the costs of the pollution that fossil fuels produce outweigh any economic benefit that the fossil fuels produce," Landrigan said.

In Laudato Si', Francis urged countries that have developed through highly polluting sources to assist other nations to do so with cleaner energy sources.

"The same mindset which stands in the way of making radical decisions to reverse the trend of global warming also stands in the way of achieving the goal of eliminating poverty. A more responsible overall approach is needed to deal with both problems: the reduction of pollution and the development of poorer countries and regions," the pope wrote. Continue reading

• Brian Roewe is NCR environment correspondent

The two-day conference was a follow-up to Francis's 2015 encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si'.

The encyclical calls for an energy policy "aimed at averting disastrous climate changes that could compromise the well-being and future of the human family, and our common home".

Climate change risks destroying humanity and energy leaders need to help the world move to less-polluting energy sources, Francis told the conference.

"Civilization requires energy, but energy must not destroy civilization".

Although about a billion people don't have electricity, today's "massive movement of information, persons and things requires an immense supply of energy", Francis said.

"The energy question has become one of the principal challenges, in theory and in practice, facing the international community.

"The way we meet this challenge will determine our overall quality of life and the real possibility either of resolving conflicts in different areas of our world or, on account of grave environmental imbalances and lack of access to energy, providing them with new fuel to destroy social stability and human lives".

In essence, this involves finding ways to meet everyone's energy needs without "creating environmental imbalances resulting in deterioration and pollution gravely harmful to our human family, both now and in the future.

"Air quality, sea levels, adequate fresh water reserves, climate control and the balance of delicate ecosystems - all are necessarily affected by the ways that human beings satisfy their ‘thirst' for energy, often, sad to say, with grave disparities", Francis said.

Francis praised oil and gas companies for refining their investment strategies to take into account environmental and sustainability questions.

"New approaches to ‘green finance' are beginning to emerge," Francis said.

While Francis acknowledged the progress being made, he urged the executives to keep working on the pressing need to move to cleaner energy.

Participants at the conference included the CEOs of Italian oil giant ENI, British Petroleum, ExxonMobil and Norway's Statoil as well as scientists and managers of major investment funds.

The Vatican has not released any reports from the first day of the closed-door conference.

Source

• Crux Now
• Washington Post
• Deutsche Welle
• Image: Independent

This is a worldwide problem - we can't point the finger at Thai fishermen. The west started this. The developing world justifiably yearns for its living standards and, with it, its unsustainable convenience culture.

The UK alone produces more than 170m tonnes of waste every year, much of it food packaging. While it has revolutionised the way we store and consume food, there is now so much of it that landfills can't cope. Some of it is poisonous, and some of it never degrades. It can take 450 years for some types of plastic bottle to break down; one type, PET, while recyclable, doesn't biodegrade at all. And yet only a third of plastic packaging is recycled. Indeed, as Rachelle Strauss of the UK's ZeroWasteWeek, says, we never actually throw anything "away" - it's really just put somewhere else.

But recycling is just a drop in the ocean - most of the environmental cost of our throwaway wrapping is upstream - in its manufacture. We were closer to an answer 30 years ago: what on earth happened to milkmen and bottle deposits? Now we live in an absurd age where a packet of crisps can have seven layers of wrapping. Continue reading

Source and Image:

• The Guardian, article by Dave Hall, a production journalist and editor at the Guardian.

In its 639th year, though, the Gothic structure could be laid low by a gross and unfortunate hazard: Too many revelrous Germans are ducking into the church's alcoves to relieve their full bladders and queasy stomachs against the ancient walls.

"I've been keeping an eye on it for half a year now and, once again, it's coated with urine and vomit," Michael Hilbert, head of the local building preservation agency, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. Continue reading

On April 6, dead fish began washing ashore along 200 kilometres of the coastal provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue.

Nearly three months later, authorities announced that toxic waste, including phenol and cyanide, from a Taiwanese-built steel plant, a unit of Formosa Plastics, poisoned the waters.

A drainage pipe connected to the facility based in Ha Tinh province allegedly discharged 10,240 cubic metres of toxic waste into the sea each day, it is alleged.

A government minister said the company agreed to pay US$500 million in recompense for damages it caused to the people and the environment.

Officials put the loss to fishers in the four provinces at 76,000 tons of seafood due to the marine pollution.

One fisher, Michael Vo Van Hong, who has lost his livelihood, predicted it would take at least three years for the seas to recover.

Since May, fishers and salt workers affected by the marine pollution have been given 15 kilograms of rice a month by the government.

Fr Anthony Nguyen Ngoc Ha, head of Caritas in the Hue archdiocese, said that 20 parishes have been badly affected by the marine pollution. Some of them are lacking basic food.

"We have offered money and five tonnes of rice to affected fishing communities regardless of their backgrounds," Fr Ha said.

"We will continue to collect donations from benefactors and give to the victims until they can fish again."

He said Caritas plans to conduct courses in vocational skills for local people needing to change how they make a living.

On June 20, a group of American volunteers led by Sister of Mercy Anna Nguyen Thi Hang visited and donated rice, instant noodles and money to 300 households in Phu Hai commune.

"We want to share something with you as our deep communion with you. We will continue to make donations to help you in the future," Sr Hang told beneficiaries.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

His remarks came in the wake of revelations that local mafia had buried cancer-causing toxic waste around the city, posing a health risk to residents, reports Adnkronos.

He told journalists at the 10th International Forum of the Christian environmentalist group Greenaccord, "Our people have to be told the truth about what has happened. But it is also necessary to talk about all the positive things that have been done. It is time for everyone to unite and continue to free our earth of poisons."

Sepe added that he had ordered local priests, deacons, and lay brothers to be conscious of the Church's role in public ethics, Adnkronos reported.

Sources

• Huffington Post
• Image: Underground Health

Papua New Guinea's National Court has rejected an application for a permanent halt to the use of deep sea waste disposal by the 1.5 billion dollar Chinese-owned Ramu Nickel mine, near Madang.

The judge said it is likely the dumping would cause "serious environmental harm" but it isn't illegal and banning it at this late stage would have an adverse affect on the mine, its workers and investor confidence in PNG.

In a recent statement the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG and Solomon Islands pointed to the historical failure of PNG mining ventures to bring the promised development and prosperity to the people.

"Despite creation of wealth and increase in government GDP, the history of mining and resource extraction in countries with widespread poverty and weak regulation by government should be a adequate warning: that for the majority of people mining can deliver only inflamed social conflict, the spread of disease, disrupted family life and traditional culture, a drain of professionals, permanent loss of livelihood through water contamination and interruption to land use patterns, damage, and worsened poverty. None of which can be compensated for by cash payment"

Source

• ABC Network News
• Image: Coastal Care

The students performed their first dress rehearsal to parents and teachers at the school hall at Waimanu Road yesterday.

Principal Sister Genevieve Loo said the event was celebrated every year with a theme related to real-life situation.

"This year the students are performing in accordance to the conservation of our environment," Sister Genevieve said.

"Pollution is a controversial issue because it not only affects our lives but also our envir­­onment.

"With the students' performance, we hope to relate the message to the community to be good citizens and maintain a pollution-free environment."

Headgirl Vinaina Raboiliku said the girls prepared well for the event.

"We are looking forward to a good show and we hope the community will learn something from our performances," she said.

"It is all about caring for our environment people need to work together in order to control the level of pollution.

"Let's get our hands dirty and clean our backyards before we clean our country."

The concert, scheduled for Tuesday at the Civic Auditorium in Suva, carries the theme "We Are Stewards in God's Garden: Let Us Recreate Our World for a Brighter Future".

Sources

• Fiji Times Online
• Image: The Accidental Product Manager

­­­­­­

"This year's theme is a call to people from all walks of life, irrespective of creed, ethnicity, political leanings, to reflect on "our mindless plunder of the earth"

Mr Emberson said the theme challenged people to commit to combined efforts to address the root causes of environment degradation in Fiji.

"This theme urges all human beings to respect, care and protect all of creation. It is also a call to recognition that greed at many levels, self-centeredness and a belief in unlimited growth have brought exploitation and destruction on earth and its creatures," he said.

Mr Emberson said PCC believed that people should realise that the climate change threatening the environment in Fiji was linked to the greed and irresponsible approach towards planet Earth.

"Excessive consumption of fossil fuels, the logging of trees, unsustainable mining, the pollution and plunder of our environment and oceans compounds us as people who depend on a healthy environment."

Source
The Fiji Times ONLINE